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Electronics company Toshiba announced a family of self-encrypting
hard disk drives (HDDs) engineered to automatically invalidate
protected data when connected to an unknown host. The Self-Encrypting
Drive (SED) models are designed to enable original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) to configure different data invalidation options
that align with various end-user scenarios.

Designed to address the increasing need for IT departments to comply
with privacy laws and regulations governing data security, the company
said the drives are ideally suited for PC, copier and multi-function
printer, and point-of-sale systems used in government, financial,
medical, or similar environments with a heightened need to protect
sensitive information.

Building on the Trusted Computing Group "Opal" Specification, the new
Toshiba MKxx61GSYG models leverage advanced access security and
on-board encryption alongside second generation data wipe technology.
Whether to protect against data loss resulting from lost or stolen
notebooks or to maintain the security of document image data stored
within copier and printer systems, Toshiba SEDs can securely invalidate
protected data.

Data invalidation attributes can be set for multiple data ranges,
enabling targeted data in the drive to be rendered indecipherable by
command, on power cycle, or on host authentication error. "This
flexibility provides systems designers with a powerful set of data
security options that can be easily incorporated into existing system
architecture," the company said in a statement.

After being turned on, the SED and host perform an authentication
process. If the authentication fails, the drive can be configured to
simply deny access or crypto-erase sensitive user data. The company
said with the latest enhancement to SED technology, the risk of data
theft is reduced in cases where the drive is removed from its defined
host environment and connected to an unknown system.

Scott Wright, product manager of Toshiba’s storage device division,
said customer sampling and volume production of the MKxx61GSYG models
will occur in the second quarter and Toshiba would focus on working
closely with targeted OEMs and security ISVs to help them integrate the
latest wipe technology features. "Digital systems vendors recognize the
need to help their customers protect sensitive data from leakage or
theft," he said. "Toshiba’s security technologies provide designers of
copiers, printers, PCs, and other systems with new capabilities to help
address these important security concerns."